Province handed top $350,000-job to a totally unqualified person  By Jessica Bell Last year, the Ford government put eight school boards including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) under provincial supervision to address so-called financial mismanagement.  Oversight of the TDSB was taken from elected school board trustees […]

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Doug Ford sticks it to the students By Jessica Bell In the name of “saving” Ontario’s financially strapped colleges and universities, the Conservative government has decided students should foot more of their tuition bill. Come September, the maximum share of grant funding available through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) will drop from 85 per […]

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Did you know that 20% of grade 10 teenagers vape? By Jessica Bell What is happening to health care?  In January I was alarmed when Hillary Buchan-Terrell from the Canadian Cancer Society told politicians at the pre-budget hearings in Niagara that 20 per cent of Grade 10 teenagers vape. I expected to hear about health-care deficits, […]

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The situation only worsens under Doug Ford’s policies By Jessica Bell What is happening to health care?  One of the Ontario government’s most important responsibilities is to provide Ontarians with high quality and cost-effective public health care. The Ford government is not effectively delivering on this mandate.  Private health care is proliferating. There are about 900 privately […]

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PCs are centralizing power By Jessica Bell We are witnessing the terrifying rise of fascism in the United States, where President Trump defies Congressional votes, ignores court rulings, and directs law enforcement against citizens. Ontario is not the United States; that said, under the Ford Conservative government, we are also witnessing the dismantling of our […]

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Has the auditor general just exposed Ford’s next Greenbelt scandal? By Jessica Bell Ontario’s auditor general, Shelley Spence, has a vital job in holding the public service to account. Her office investigates government departments, agencies, and organizations to see if they’re efficiently delivering high quality programs and services.    This week, the auditor general released […]

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What do the new housing rules mean for University-Rosedale? By Jessica Bell In August, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Robert Flack, approved changes to encourage the construction of more apartments and condos near transit stations and to require new developments to include some affordable homes. How will these new rules impact the look […]

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We have two massive tasks ahead of us. We need to continue to pressure the Conservative government to enact a serious plan to get to net-zero and build a sustainable economy, while also taking steps to ensure our survival. 

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Conservative government’s reluctance to lead is frustrating By Jessica Bell Donald Trump’s escalating trade war and threats to our economy should be a wake-up call for Ontario’s Conservative government to bring a robust economic plan that puts Ontario and Canada first. Doug Ford didn’t give us that.  People in our community want to do their […]

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From the environment to education, there’s currently a lot we’re debating in the legislature. Here is a roundup of what’s happening at Queen’s Park. 

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There was real anger toward Ford and his disrespect for Toronto—meddling with our official plan and taking away our bike lanes, yet failing to put forward real solutions to crime and homelessness.

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Every election the Gleaner asks the major candidates a common set of questions. We publish their answers to help readers make a more informed voting choice. The provincial election is set for February 27. We have featured this Q & A with candidates for 30 years. For the first time one major party, the governing Progressive Conservatives, did not reply despite repeated attempts by the Gleaner to include them.

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